All in all, Andrea Iannone had a good Race 1 in Aragon. In fact, the rider from Vasto managed to recover from a somewhat troubled start from the 7th position on the grid and crossed the finish line 6th, thanks to the excellent pace he unleashed in the last stretch. But, before analyzing his race with reporters, the rider from Abruzzo ended up having to respond to Iker Lecuon's accusations, when he harshly criticized him for his behavior after the accident at Balaton Park.
"I didn't even know he was hurt. At the end of the race, I didn't see him on the track, because he was probably already at the medical center. But I did apologize to all the teams and riders involved through a statement, which I also shared on my social media channels. I'm sorry, and I don't feel like feuling a controversy over it. I didn't even do it at Magny-Cours, even if I could have," Andrea commented, trying to play it down. "Races are like that, and I'm sorry that he got hurt, and that he took it that way. His manager knows me very well from the Suzuki days, when he was with Rins, and he knows what kind of person I am. I'm sure Iker will get over it. Like I said, I'm sorry for what happened, but these are things that also happen to others. It happened many times to Alvaro, both last year and this year. It also happened to me last year in Most, when I threw away a podium because Petrucci and Bautista pushed me out, and I didn't say anything. I understand Iker and his irritability, but maybe he didn't read the statement. Otherwise, he would have no reason to make these statements."
Having explained his point of view on Lecuona's complaint, the Go Eleven rider then talked about how he experienced the first race this weekend in Aragon.
"My pace was very good. It's too bad about the first six or seven laps. I was overtaken by Rea and Locatelli at the beginning of the race. I didn't get off to a great start. They made me lose ground, and I paid for it because they accelerate better having more grip. I couldn't accelerate well, and I was also struggling on the straights because I couldn't be fast," he explained. "I struggle to express my pace when I have someone in front of me, but as soon as I was able to overtake the Yamahas, I started to lap on a low 1'49". I made up some of what I had lost, but it was too late. It's a shame, but the times were good when I lapped alone."
Regarding his expectations for tomorrow, Iannone added, "In my opinion, I had the pace to keep up with Petrucci and Sam Lowes. I did several laps on a 1'49, but only when I didn't have Rea in front anymore. I was much faster than him, but I couldn't overtake, and I suffer a lot in the straights compared to the Ducati riders. It's a problem I also had in Magy-Cours, and we'll have to try to understand why. Today I also made a mistake in qualifying that caused me to lose at least one row, but the pace was good."